Italy Is Giving Away Castles for Free

If you’ve ever dreamed of owning, say, a 13th-century castle or Venetian island, then now is your chance. In an attempt to lure tourists away from overcrowded—and often overwhelmed—city centers across the country, Italy is giving away 103 historic sites for free. (And you thought that 24-hour wine fountain was a bargain.)

Buildings up for grabs include timeworn monasteries, ancient inns, rural farmhouses, and sprawling fortresses, as well as the 13th-century Castello di Montefiore in the Marche region and the 11th-century Castello di Blera in Lazio, which sits on a cliff just outside of Rome. Another building of note? The Orsini-Odescalchi castle in Bracciano, Rome, where Tom Cruise married Katie Holmes in 2006. According to The Local, those planning to up sticks to Italy (perhaps having felt inspired after bingeing on Master of None) can choose from numerous spots along the Via Francigena, a pilgrimage route that begins in Rome and ends at the northern border, and the Appian Way, which links Rome and Brindisi on the coast.

Of course, you won’t just be handed the keys to the castle. Those interested must submit a proposal by June 26, with a thorough outline of how they plan to turn the property into a functioning heritage site for tourists. Successful applicants will then be granted a nine or 50 year lease for the property on the basis that they then invest money, restructure, renovate and run it efficiently. The initiative is part of Italy’s Strategic Tourist Plan, an effort by the State Property Agency and Ministry of Cultural Heritage to ease the strain on the country’s major tourist destinations. (Just recently, Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro has been cracking down on visitor numbers, while Rome is banning tour buses in its center.) The move is meant to encourage "slow tourism" by promoting destinations that are little bit more off the beaten track (one fortress listed seems to only be accessible by a centuries-old stone bridge). Roberto Reggi, director general of the State Property Agency, told The Local, "The goal is for private and public buildings which are no longer used to be transformed into facilities for pilgrims, hikers, tourists, and cyclists."

Just last year, the Italian government auctioned off 30 lighthouses to be converted into hotels and tourist facilities, and if all goes well this time, 200 more properties could be added to the roster over the next couple of years. So if you’re feeling disappointed after those reports of an Italian village paying people to move there turned out to be too good to be true, there’s still hope. We already have our fingers crossed for a lakeside palace in Como, in case you’re wondering.